The day’s final sales figures have yet to be made official, but local managers of national chain and big box stores say Black Friday this year was a resounding success.

Notwithstanding a national unemployment rate still hovering at the 9-percent mark, shoppers in Taunton and Raynham were out in force the day after Thanksgiving, gobbling up discounts and taking advantage of “doorbuster” deals.

Charles Winokoor

The day’s final sales figures have yet to be made official, but local managers of national chain and big box stores say Black Friday this year was a resounding success.

Notwithstanding a national unemployment rate still hovering at the 9-percent mark, shoppers in Taunton and Raynham were out in force the day after Thanksgiving, gobbling up discounts and taking advantage of “doorbuster” deals.

The parking lot of Taunton’s Silver City Galleria mall — as well as at Taunton Depot shopping center on County Street and Walmart Supercenter in Raynham — were filled to near-capacity for the entire day.

Recognized as the busiest holiday-shopping day of the year, Black Friday is known for attracting bargain-starved consumers, some of whom don’t mind, or even enjoy, waiting hours — and in some instances days — in line for stores to open.

When it comes to the 24-hour Walmart Supercenter (”supercenter” denoting the presence of a grocery store in the building) on Route 44 in Raynham, Polly Gamache is the belle of the ball.

“I love the store and the sales,” Gamache, 59, said.

So much so that for at least 10 years she’s made a point of being first on line before the store opens every Black Friday.

Gamache, a retired factory worker, said she showed up this Thursday at 2:45 p.m. — more than 13 hours before the front doors were unlocked — to keep her record intact.

“I came straight from Thanksgiving dinner,” she said.

With five grandchildren on her Christmas shopping list, Gamache said she was motivated — grabbing deals on toys, pajamas, video games and a 19-inch TV. All told she said she spent between $300 and $400, about the same amount she spent last Black Friday.

“I’m very happy,” she said.

When asked how she passed the time for 13 hours, before being allowed into the store, Gamache said she made herself comfortable in her fold-up chair and shot the breeze with a Raynham cop working a paid detail.

Walmart manager Bert Cabral said he can vouch for Gamache, noting that during his 10 years as manager she consistently has been the earliest of the early shoppers.

Cabral, 46, estimates a crowd of 1,000 shoppers were waiting in line to get inside by the store opened.

“It took half an hour to get them in,” he said.

Unlike previous years, Cabral said there was a minimum of shoving and nothing approaching the kind of extreme misbehavior reported across the country at a handful of other Walmarts.

Cabral said he had more merchandise on hand this year, including 250 televisions. A “special item” 40-inch Emerson for $248 and an Emerson 32-inch priced at $188 sold out quickly, he said.

The only hitch, Cabral said, were some shoppers showing up early, unaware that Walmart stores in Massachusetts are still subject to a “Blue Law” prohibiting business on Thanksgiving.

The confusion arose, he said, because the company issues and places national ad-campaign fliers and inserts.

County Street corridor

Taunton Depot’s Target store was bustling. Three friends who began their shopping day at 4 a.m. were all but glowing as they pushed a cart toward their car.

“I got the last one,” said a thoroughly pleased Vanessa Flint, of Taunton.

Flint, 23, said she initially went to Walmart looking for a TV for a family member, but that the $200 model she wanted had sold out. As a result, she drove straight to Target where got a very respectable deal, spending $220 for a 32-inch TV.

She was accompanied by friends Lindsay McCrillis, 26, of Raynham and 19-year-old Britney Charette of Taunton, both of whom had also been out since 4 a.m.

Target store manager Michael Donnigan said opening up at 1 a.m., as opposed to 4 a.m. on Black Friday last year, was paying off.

“We’re much, much busier,” Donnigan said just before 10 a.m.

TVs and toys had sold fast, he said, as did electronics such as game consoles, iPods and cameras.

Heavily discounted doorbusters, what used to be called “loss leaders,” had produced an expectant crowd of hundreds outside. According to Donnigan, between the hours of 1 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. his store was “absolutely mobbed.”

All 175 of the store’s full- and part-time employees were working Friday, he added.
Taunton’s Target was among 55 of 70 New England Target stores remodeled this past summer to include a fresh produce section, Donnigan, 47, said.

He said it was also one of “only a handful” to be retrofitted with a Starbucks, which replaced a fast-food operation known as Food Avenue.

There’s already a free-standing Starbucks closer to the front of the plaza; Donnigan says he doesn’t suspect the Starbucks in his store has hurt the other coffee shop’s business.

In 2010 Donnigan said he had hired 50 seasonal workers, some of whom stayed on after the Christmas season. This year, he said, he’s hired “more than last year” and expected to retain at least 30 percent as permanent employees.

Taunton Depot plaza has two major vacancies since Circuit City’s bankruptcy and Linen N Things closed its stores in favor of online merchandising.

Tony Smith, manager of Kohl’s in Taunton Depot, which opened at 1 a.m., said his sales volume was keeping up with that of last year when the store opened at 3 a.m.

The Polaroid Android tablet, discounted from $179.99 to $99.99, had proved to be a successful doorbuster, he said.

Taunton Crossing — a smaller plaza located between Taunton Depot and Route 24 — was busy if not filled to capacity. Stores in the plaza include T.J. Maxx, Pier 1 Imports and Michaels.

Optimism at the mall

At the Galleria’s Best Buy, the single largest big box retailer of home electronics in the eastern U.S., store manager Josh Muir said that opening at 1 a.m., four hours earlier than in 2010, had been worth it.

“I think the volume is higher,” Muir, 37, said, adding that “We didn’t want to get beat on time,” referring to having opened later in 2010.

The leading doorbuster for the company this year was a limited number of a $199 Sharp brand, 42-inch TV. Muir said it didn’t take long to sell out all 20 he had in stock.

But he said customers had plenty more to choose from, including cell phones, GPS units and a Lenovo laptop selling for $179.99.

Tony Forzaglia, manager of Sears in the Galleria, said the store was “on track to meet last year’s numbers.”

“Hopefully we’ll exceed it,” he said.

Sears, as it did last year, opened at 4 a.m. on Black Friday. This year there were 500 assorted doorbusters, including medium to large flatscreen TV sets, appliances, tools and clothing.

Forzaglia, 60, said he noticed something different this year in terms of mood and attitude.

“People seem to be generally up, no complaining,” he said. “I sense a little optimism in the air.”